Create a timeline report

From the timeline view, click on New timeline report in the top right corner.

In the new window, you can now define your report’s settings which are divided into 6 categories. Each category can be folded and unfolded by clicking on the respective pane.

1. General settings: Here you can choose the timeline report’s title under Name and decide if you want to display it in the timeline view by checking or unchecking Hide chart. You can also choose the chart’s default zoom factor, ranging from days to years. Under Initial outline expansion, you can define the number of levels to be displayed in the chart by default. You can also set the displayed time frame by setting the start and end date under show timeframe. Columns allow you to define which columns are to be displayed, such as start and end date or responsible. By clicking into the field, a drop-down menu opens containing a pre-defined list of column titles. Finally, under Sort projects by, you can decide whether your projects which are displayed in the timeline report are to be sorted by date or by alphabet.

2. Comparisons: It is often useful to visualize changes in planning. The Comparisons section allows to compare the current state of planning to previous states. Changes concerning several attributes (such as work package start and end date, assignee, responsible and status) are highlighted in the timeline report when the comparison option is activated. There are two different planning comparison options: Choosing relative comparisons displays changes within a certain timeframe (e.g. to display the changes which occurred within one week – for example to use this for weekly status reports) to the current date, while absolute comparisons (e.g. to show planning changes since the start of a project) refer to a fixed date.

3. Vertical work packages: Sometimes it is useful to include events / work packages in a timeline report which affect an entire project / an entire timeline report. Examples may include deployment or feature freezes or even public holidays. Vertical work packages allow to display these “global” / vertical work packages in a timeline report. In order to add vertical work packages, simply enter the work packages’ IDs (e.g. #1234, #1235), separated by commas.

4. Filter work packages: Here you can define which work packages should appear in the timeline report by setting filters. First, you can choose to hide work packages from this project. This way, only work packages of other projects will appear in the chart. In the Show status field, you can select the status you want to be displayed in the chart using the integrated drop-down menu. The following fields work accordingly, and allow filtering work packages by type, responsible or Additionally, it is possible to filter by customized attributes (so called custom fields).

5. Filter projects: This category allows you to filter the displayed list by projects. You can choose to hide other projects or empty projects, and, similar – to filtering by work packages – select projects by type, status or responsible. You can also filter the list by parent projects using the option Show subprojects of, or even use the combined filter Projects with a work package of a certain type in a certain timeframe. Here you can choose between an absolute timeframe, i.e. fixed period, or a relative timeframe, which is defined by a certain distance to the current date.

6.Grouping: In the last category, you can specify grouping and sorting criteria. The first (is a subproject of) grouping criterion allows structuring large timeline reports by grouping subprojects of target projects.

Finally, if you want to hide the group “Other”, check the corresponding box.

Once you have chosen all settings for your timeline report, finish by clicking on the Create button.